The narrative begins when Anodos, newly come of age, unlocks his late father's ancient secretary and inadvertently summons a fairy grandmother who promises him passage into Fairy Land. Crossing through a magical stream in his bedchamber, he enters a vast, silent forest where trees are sentient and flowers conceal mischievous or malevolent spirits. Anodos learns to navigate this strange domain through encounters with friendly cottagers, dangerous phantoms, and knightly questers seeking to purge their own errors. Along the way, he is dogged by a sinister shadow representing his own spiritual decay and self-delusion, which turns every beauty to ash and mocks his highest aspirations.
Seeking a lost marble maiden whom his songs briefly brought to life, he descends into underground caverns peopled by malicious goblins and eventually wanders to the wintry shores of a desolate sea. Saved by a magical boat, he drifts toward a silver palace of endless silver domes and moonlit colonnades, where he reads profound fairy histories and catches fleeting glimpses of the ethereal Queen of the Fairies. After further trials, including an encounter with his own idealized double who subjugates his will, Anodos confronts the tower of his illusion and learns the ultimate necessity of self-forgetfulness. Through sorrow, repentance, and the heroic sacrifice of others, his spirit is gradually cleansed of pride and vanity. The romance concludes with Anodos returning from Fairy Land not with magical spoils, but with enduring memories, a chastened heart, and a quiet readiness for whatever mortal life and death may bring.
